Words worth understanding
Start with the thought in plain English. Then explore the imagery, a practical example, when to use it, and what the saying does not mean.
4,000 entries with editorial explanations. The wider collection also contains entries still awaiting an individual interpretation.
proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
One feature does not determine the overall appeal or value of a person. A whole impression can differ from a judgment focused narrowly on one detail.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
An attractive setting cannot replace the essentials needed to live or work within it. Consider whether an impressive arrangement actually provides the support it appears to promise.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A sore place can make ordinary handling unwelcome. Consider previous difficulty or present discomfort before assuming that another person’s resistance is unreasonable.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Expensive decoration can disguise an unchanged limitation. The image asks whether an improvement affects what something can do, or merely makes it look more impressive to an observer.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A reliable warning deserves attention, but the confidence placed in its source should not replace checking the situation. Even an experienced observer may sometimes be mistaken.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A large move can bring a large disturbance. The leap and shake ask that ambition include attention to consequences, without assuming every substantial change is reckless or should be avoided.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The saying dismisses harm through a gendered animal comparison. Read it as an example of minimising another person’s actions, rather than evidence that such harm is harmless.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
The effort spent pursuing a small dispute can exceed what is at stake. The two money names and the paper image direct attention to the cost of the process, not only the disputed amount.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Something brought home can later become a cause of sorrow. The saying invites thought about a choice’s consequences while leaving room for disappointment that could not reasonably have been foreseen.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A peg for each hole pictures fitting responses to different needs. Look for an appropriate match rather than assuming one method serves every task.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Something that appears completely full may still admit a small addition. Check the actual limit before treating a convenient description as an exact measure of capacity.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
People may blame someone who is absent and hear a different account when that person is present. The contrast asks whether judgement changes when the person can explain.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A resemblance or suspicious association is not enough to condemn every member of a group. Look for evidence about the particular case before attaching a frightening label.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional
An attractive appearance or impressive presentation does not guarantee real value. Look beyond the shine before deciding that a person, offer or object deserves your trust.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Even a capable person can miss a result they were trying to achieve. The escaping eel pictures an outcome that skill can improve without fully controlling.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
Powerful resources need capable and responsible handling. Arms and money put means with serious consequences beside the hands that decide how to use them.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Agreement from an equally unreliable companion does not establish truth. Look for evidence or genuinely independent confirmation instead of treating a second voice as automatic verification.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
When someone is trapped by hostile people, getting away can be wiser than fighting. The contrast between feet and hands challenges the assumption that courage always requires confrontation.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
An ineffective safeguard can leave an avoidable opportunity for loss. Review whether a precaution works in practice rather than assuming that its existence is enough.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
The bee and hornet are contrasted as different kinds. The image questions an assumed change of character, but should not be used to declare a person permanently good or bad.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Do not enlarge one difficulty into several through exaggeration or a poorly chosen response. Examine the actual problem before adding imagined dangers or unnecessary complications.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
A label may describe what is offered without proving what is actually inside. Check relevant contents or evidence before relying on the description alone.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (Spanish-language collection)
A fault does not automatically settle whether a useful relationship should end. The cat’s theft invites a proportionate judgement, while leaving serious harm and continuing boundaries firmly open to consideration.
Read the explanation and example ↗proverb · Traditional (French-language collection)
Do not provoke a threat while you are still exposed to it. Restraint can be a practical way to leave a difficult situation safely.
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